More students are also opting for science and technology A-levels, but other subjects are in decline, noticeably modern languages like French and German, as well as subjects considered by some to be "soft", such as general studies and critical thinking.

The figures are startling: in the last five years there has been an increase of 40.2 per cent in the uptake of maths, while Chinese has had year on year growth of 30 per cent.

But in contrast, since last year the number of students taking critical thinking fell by 17.3 per cent, and German fell by 6.9 per cent.

After GCSE-level, it found that the main reason young people gave for taking mathematics, science, physics or chemistry was "usefulness" - rather than other subjects which are perhaps viewed as less "useful".

"Two years ago, when these kids were making their choices, it was the start of the economic downturn," he said.

"Businesses were crying out for more skilled people in science, English, maths. Students are savvy about their choices, what will bring them a successful outcome in terms of getting a job or getting to university."

Rise of the dragon

The rise of China as a nation is a clear explanation for the rise of Chinese as a subject as well, Mr Liaquat explained. But students were not necessarily dropping other modern languages, like French, in order to take Chinese - as the figures may seem to suggest.

Language learning in the UK took a body blow in 2004, when the then Labour Government removed the rule that it was compulsory for schools in England to teach a foreign language to 14-16-year-olds. This probably explains the decline in language A-levels, but the fact that Chinese is rising despite this is a sign of the appetite for the language from students.

Mr Liaquat said: "Employers and students recognise that these qualities are portable, they don't limit their future. They are seen as real value across many areas."

But if students are so diligently matching what they study with what they think employers and universities want, why are bosses still regularly heard on the airwaves and in the press criticising either the lack of graduates or the skills that graduates come out of university with?

Mr Liaquat admitted there was still a "challenge" out there on literacy and numeracy, but added: "There is a real response from students to the needs of business and higher education and for the UK economy that has got to be a good thing."